If the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is against you, argue the facts. If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like hell.
- Carl Sandburg
Don't look now, but Republicans are yelling at the top of their lungs. I haven't seen them get their panties in a bunch like this since Obama decided to wear that tan suit in the White House Press Briefing Room. To quote Snagglepuss, Heavens to Murgatroyd!
It's been a refreshing change of pace watching Democrats stay on message, while the GOP struggles to come up with one. Attacking the process seems to be the flavor of the month. First they called the impeachment inquiry a scam; next president bone spurs called it a lynching. Now they've taken to storming secured committee rooms and introducing meaningless resolutions. The former courtesy of 30 or 40 House Republicans; the latter from Lindsey - kiss ass - Graham.
Not a single one of these bozos has been able to successfully refute any of the allegations made against Trump. That's because they can't, and to a man and woman they know it. When you can't attack the substance, you attack the process. Face it, if Republicans had anything concrete, they'd have leaked it by now.
So instead of defending the Dark Lord of the Sith on the merits - which is always a funny word to use when talking about Trump - they're accusing Democrats of conducting secret hearings in closed session. Meanwhile, during the Benghazi hearings, virtually all of the testimony was obtained in closed hearings. You know who thought that was a good idea. Trey Gowdy. And during the Clinton impeachment hearings, Ken Starr, the special prosecutor who was originally appointed to investigate the Whitewater scandal, conducted countless interviews behind closed doors. Guess who also thought that was a good idea. Lindsey Graham.
The mountain of evidence against Trump is piling up. That's why Republicans are panicking. Because they know that as soon as these proceedings become public - which they will in about three weeks - there won't be a rock large enough for them to hide under. Mitch McConnell knows what's coming. That's why it was puzzling that he agreed to co-sponsor Graham's ridiculous resolution. McConnell is fully aware that it won't have the slightest impact on what the House is doing. If anything, thanks to this stupid stunt, we now know who the Republican senators are who will likely vote to convict Trump - all seven of them. And, trust me, where there are seven, there are more. How many more will depend on how thorough Democrats are in making their case.
That's why it's imperative that they stay focused and ignore all the distractions that Trump and the GOP are throwing their way. It was good that Adam Schiff decided not to call the D.C. Police on the Republicans who barged into the SCIF. They were looking for an opportunity to play the victim card. Instead they came off looking like the morons they are. And does anyone else think it's a little odd that the the Department of Justice chose this particular moment to start a criminal investigation into the origins of the Russia probe? Me neither.
Trump is worried, and with good reason. The testimony of Bill Taylor was both compelling and damning. If you think public support for impeachment and removal is high now, just wait until he testifies at a public hearing. And if Democrats ever get John Bolton in front of an open microphone, Graham and McConnell will shit their pants.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not yet prepared to say that the Senate will remove Trump, but I'm also not ruling it out either. As I wrote in an earlier piece, if McConnell believes the Senate is in jeopardy, he'll drop him like a bad habit. As more than a just few pundits have pointed out, Trump is not well liked in the upper chamber. And with Mike Pence waiting in the bullpen, if push came to shove, I wouldn't be shocked to see at least 20 Republicans turn on him, especially if the polling for removal approaches 60 percent. The fact that so many of them have been unwilling to go on the record one way or the other is an ominous sign. That's what you get when you treat people like shit the way Trump does. The man demands loyalty but never returns it.
Look, we still have a ways to go here. There are still a few more witnesses that Schiff wants to hear from. Personally, I wouldn't waste my time on Rudy Giuliani. The way things are going over at the SDNY, I have a sneaky feeling Mr. 9/11 is going to be needing a lawyer real soon. But this much is certain: Trump and Republicans are going to rue the day they ever wished for public hearings.
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